Pages

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Big Cats in Kentucky

Big Cat in Deane, Ky?

I just got a report of a large cat sighting in Kentucky, I don't think it has really been reported until now. I also have more information below the report.

-Start Report-
My name is Randy Isaac and I'm from Letcher co KY.
One night around 9:30-10:00pm in July or August 1997, a friend and I were traveling on hwy 317 going into Deane KY.
We were going down what we call Rockhouse Mountain when we rounded a curve and all a sudden a big dark colored cat with about a 3-3 1/2 foot tail, jumped from the right off an embankment crossed the road and over the hill. We looked at each other and I said, " did u just see what I saw?".
His eyes were big as silver dollars and he said, " yes, a big ******* black panther!".
I knew he had seen it because you would have to be blind not to have seen it.
I know how big it was and I know it was dark colored but not dark black, but I'll call it that just for the sake of dark and light.
I had a guy that lives over that way tell me he saw one in the same curve and he had no idea that we had seen one there.
I told him that we saw it there to and we couldn't believe it was in the exact same place. I talked to a couple boys that live down the road from me and they started talking about thing like that and told me they saw a big black cat about 100yds above that.
The didn't know about my sighting either. I again had to bring my sighting up and we all were astonished we had seen it in the same place. This was just last month that I talked to those boys. I don't care whether they saw this big cat or not, because I know what we saw, but this just told me that they must stay in the same general area.

Some guys that live above me supposedly shot a big cat back here on the mountain and killed it. They got scared that they would go to jail when they saw it up close so they threw it over the mountain. They told a few people about it but no one believed them, but a couple boys went and found it where they threw it over the hill and they swore it was a lion, like u see in the circus. They said it was huge and had a real short mane. I couldn't figure that one out but they also said it was a lion. I'm gonna catch up with them to find out more.

They boys that shot it were up there drinking and cooking and said it came up to the fire and they shot it. They swore it was a lion before those other boys saw it dead

Those boys aren't the type to make something like that up. They were truly afraid if getting in trouble.

They said the guy that had the one in Jenkins couldn't afford to feed it and he turned it loose. He kept it in a big cage beside the road and u could see it driving by. It was female. We figured that was it. Heads up in the mountain there

It was about same time. Said they shot it with a shotgun and it fell in its tracks. Must have been close.

-End Report-

It has long been rumored, and I believe it, that the old Tombstone Junction Amusement park, which had a zoo, turned all the animals loose when they closed up the business. The business closed suddenly. I always thought this could have been were the alligators came from a few years back in Knox county. So who really knows how they got started here, I personally think some have been introduced to the area by wildlife officials.

Anyway, I stumbled across this photo, that was taken in Kentucky by a trail camera. It appears to show a black cat. I really don't know who to credit for the photo, sorry. Some say this is just a normal house cat and it may be.

This next photo was reportedly taken in Harlan, Kentucky, but I have seen different counties listed as to where it was taken, which raises questions about the authenticity of the location.

I have no information on this photo.

Now before you totally dismiss the possibility of big cats in Kentucky watch this News video.

Notice how the wildlife guy totally dismisses the big cats, much like they dismissed the bear reports in my area for awhile, until a lot of people started seeing them.

Here is another report of a large black cat in southern Kentucky - Click Here

I have also heard some other local people talk about seeing black panthers in this area over the years, I do think there is something to it. If you have seen a big cat/black panther/cougar in an area that they are not suppose to be in, then please submit it to us.

2 comments:

I live in central Kentucky & have on several occasions seen large cats in and around several areas in central KY. They are here, but the wildlife officials don't want to create some sort of widespread panic. I think they know it, they just don't want to put forth the effort to protect the public. Please, warn the public before someone,(maybe a small child), gets hurt or killed. If I see one, it's lights out for the cat. Maybe that'll prove they are here.